AR15/M16 - A Practical Guide, by Duncan Long

A very practical, low cost handbook that covers the Colt AR15/M16 rifle series in considerable depth is Duncan Long’s AR15/M16 – A Practical Guide.

Written in 1985, it covers the then ~ 25 year history of the AR15 concisely, yet thoroughly giving the same general chronology as the highly sought after The Black Rifle - a book I highly recommend to those interested in the AR15/M16 rifle.

1948 US Army tests indicated a high velocity; selective fire rifle in 22 caliber would be the most desirable infantry weapon on the battlefield of the future. Further testing confirmed the research.

Fairchild Aircraft Corporation created a division called ArmaLite to develop weapons using non-ferrous metals, plastics, and modern manufacturing methods. The US Army requested ArmaLite to develop a rifle combining the desired attributes, which they did, scaling down the AR10 7.62mm rifle to use a newly-designed 5.56mm (22 caliber) cartridge. The first rifles designated AR15 were delivered to the Army for testing in 1957. Due to the commitment to the 7.62 mm NATO cartridge and the newly adopted M14 rifle, consideration of the AR15 rifle was tabled.

In 1960, despairing of any military sales, Fairchild sold the rights to the AR15 design to Colt, who aggressively marketed it, getting General Curtis LeMay to buy 8,000 M16s (the military designation) for the Air Force. In 1962, the Army also bought 1,000 M16s for testing by military advisers in Southeast Asia. In 1963, the Army ordered 85,000 M16s and the Air Force 19,000. In 1964, the Air Force officially adopted the rifle. The Army also adopted it as limited standard, ordering 840,000 rifles after the failure of M14 rifle contractors to provide usable rifles. The rifle was finally adopted in 1967 as the US Rifle, 5.56mm, M16. The same rifle, or variations thereof, have been the standard US rifle for nearly 40 years.

The M16 Rifle still has a radical look today, almost 50 years since it was designed. The light weight and functional design features combine to make a rifle that is difficult to top. The M16 has influenced rifle design of nearly all countries since. It is the embodiment of the Sturmgewehr principle, first espoused by the Germans during WWII where they introduced the StGw44, one of their wunder waffens a sub-caliber, select fire weapon, but too late to make a difference. The M16’s 5.56mm cartridge has been adopted by NATO and is the standard cartridge of most non-communist countries of the world.

So much for the chronology - The M16 rifle had bugs and political opponents early on, but the bugs have long since been worked out and the rifle is boringly reliable. Duncan Long covers all these areas well and much other historical lore as well. He also goes on to discuss Magazines; Ammunition and ballistics; How the rifle functions; Marksmanship; Cleaning and lubrication; Disassembly and reassembly; Building your own rifle; Sights; Conversion kits; Grenade launchers; Troubleshooting; Accessories; and the M16 in combat. Duncan Long truly knows the M16/AR15 rifle and punctuates his well-written prose with excellent line drawings and photographs illustrating the text.

The one area he does not cover, since it happened subsequent to publication of this volume, are the legal wrangles resulting from the Machinegun Ban of 1986, and the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, which has thankfully been allowed to sunset. These unthinking laws promulgated by statist members of Congress prevented millions of law abiding Americans from owning weapons that “looked like” military weapons. Bad, bad, weapons! Criminalizing inanimate objects has never stopped one crime; it has only created more jobs for bureaucrats, which is the only time the federal government has ever “created” a job. Punishing criminals is the only way to stop crime. By the same twisted logic, why don’t they “ban” cars or computers, since criminals use them to commit crimes? Controlling weapons is never the answer. Controlling criminals is.

The 168 page book is paperback with large 8 ½ x 11” pages, with many illustrations. Apart from the new developments with the weapons platform subsequent to 1985, which are mostly cosmetic in nature, and the political chicanery, the book is essential reading for any person interested in the Colt AR15 or M16 rifle.

For those wishing to know more about the Colt AR15 Rifle, I recommend The Black Rifle the most comprehensive volume on the subject I know.

Thanks for stopping by!

Recommended: Yes